Month: July 2013

Do you remember your mum buzzing around the kitchen preparing your meals? She might have had a notebook of recipes to refer to, with bits of torn paper falling out, their sellotaped edges dried out over time. My mum’s is an A4 hardback curiosity, with some recipes from her schooldays, written in ridiculously pretty old Irish, and putting my scrawl to shame. (You should see me speed type though…)

Darina, and her glasses.

She might have had a few trusty Delia books or the whole ‘Simply Delicious’ series from Darina, beaming and bespectacled on each cover. But not that many books were needed. Old favourites appeared over & over, some meals appearing as if by magic, buns & brown bread churned out with muscle memory. I know different now and I reckon I was a pretty ungrateful child all told. Though I ate a lot of raw veg, a trait Dominic has picked up to my delight. The work! The work put into feeding a family and feeding them well every single day while going out to paid employment 5 days a week. I have half the amount of children my mum has, and a husband who cooks too. My dear late dad was no caveman, but porridge or a mixed grill was about the height of his expertise. I didn’t understand how she was in the kitchen so much but now, as I wipe counters at 8am and 9pm with 9 hours in the office in between I get it. Now I get it.

Like this:

Ireland is experiencing the kind of heat wave we barely dream of. They thought it couldn’t happen. It has. I’ve ditched the staple under-frock leggings and opaque tights and have been bare-legged in Ireland, in the office, more times in the past 2 weeks than in the past 4 years I would say. Dominic was in the playschool (brand-new) paddling pool at 845 this morning. Teddy’s curly mullet is sweatily-glued to his neck. Am seriously considering a Beckham/Ginola style hairband for him.

Now, are you paying attention? I made some impromptu frozen yogurt concoction, sick of doling out sugary mini Magnum things and also feeling sorry for Teddy looking balefully on with no cold treat forthcoming.

Get a banana from the freezer. What? You don’t freeze bananas? Hello! Pancakes, banana bread…I mean who eats bananas with even one black spot on them? Not me that’s for sure. So there’s always 2 to emmm, 7 (honest) in my freezer.

Peel & chop it into chunks. If it’s straight from the freezer peel it with a vegetable peeler.

Chuck into blender.

Add about 4 large dessert spoons of Greek or Glenisk natural yogurt.

Throw in a couple of handfuls of frozen raspberries and sense the casualness of this recipe.

Add a dash, a tablespoon I guess, of maple syrup. Leave this out or use agave if you like.

Blend for a bit.

Watch your husband and two sons bow down to your dessert-whipping-up-awesomeness.

You could add more frozen ‘nana for a thicker texture, or do this a little in advance and then refreeze it to make it more ice-creamy.